11 am Wonder Arts Class 5: Oil Pastels with Watercolor, Clay with tools in a whole group, Wire Sculpting

This being our 5th class, I am starting to notice the children really getting comfortable! In the beginning, some of the children seemed to rush through the experiences, eager to explore the room or play with the "transition toys". This week's class exhibited such long attention spans with each experience that it was hard to fit it all in. The room was so calm, the children were so focused and engaged, the parents seemed very relaxed as well. We did play background music in both classes and possibly that caused some of the intense concentration. But....after thinking about it more, I really think it is the gift of time. I used to tell parents that they needed to give their children a month or possibly two to get used to a new teacher, classroom, etc... This goes to show you that 5 weeks in, the group (both children and parents) is beginning this process!
You will see in the next few photographs, the "Evolution of a Drawing". As each child starts with a plain piece of paper and transforms it into something very unique and individual. I love to watch this process and seeing the children's faces as they add the watercolor to their oil pastels is fascinating!

My goal with the clay experience today was to observe how the children interacted with one another (as well as with the clay) when the clay was presented in small groups with the addition of pre-made balls and coils. New tools were set out, trucks, rolling pins, pizza cutters, along with the old favorites, tongue depressors and bottlecaps.

The children had long attention spans with this week's clay experience, observed one another, but still stayed to themselves most of the time. As it is very standard practice for most children to have their own separate "art", I was hoping to see them deviate from this and move into more collaboration. I realized that the arrangement of the clay and materials was not condusive to what I was trying to achieve (notice the change in the presentation during the 11 am class). That doesn't mean it wasn't a successful experience because, I think you can see from their faces, it definitely was a hit! As the children grow more experienced and comfortable with the clay, I am building theories about ways to encourage them to work together.

Wire. "Wire is elemental, formed of metal dug from the earth. It smells evocatively of the earth, and is cold and sharp. It is hard, resistant, adn strong willed. To forge a relationship with wire, we must be strong willed ourselves, determined and persistent."

Ann Pelo - The Language of Art

The children were given wire (22 gauge), cut pieces of straw, and styrofoam pieces. Wire is a new "language of art" for me and I was very excited to see how the children interacted with it. The toddlers were eager to explore it's properties! Most interacted with it much the same way they would interact with a piece of lace. They were interested in trying to "string" the straw onto it as well as poking through the styrofoam. Of course, sculpture is not what we would expect right away but they are gaining familiarity and with multiple experiences, who knows where it will lead us. I am wondering how the children would use the wire when combined with clay. I would also like to introduce the idea of wire cutters and helping them to "cut" the wire.

Through these "close-ups" of the children's hands and fingers, you see the strength it takes to work with this material. It is not always easy to maneuvre but well worth the effort!